


New Habits

by cwildairs



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cwildairs/pseuds/cwildairs
Summary: Not that Touya could see it or do much about it, if there was a ghost—but he still felt a responsibility to go and look.
Relationships: Kinomoto Touya/Tsukishiro Yukito/Yue
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	New Habits

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zagspect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagspect/gifts).



It was dark when Touya walked into the woods on his way home from staying late at his current part-time job at a tech store. The heavy snow that had fallen quietly in the night and, by daylight, made the world look like a child’s coloring book, was painted soft purples and blues here at the limits of the light cast by the streetlamps. Uselessly, he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, but there was nothing to be perceived. The snow even deadened sound and smell, making him feel more than usual that the world lacked a layer of depth to his senses. 

He took a few more steps, trying to remember what his classmate had said about the ghost. It had been during his first class of the day, and he had been half-awake after staying up late finishing a paper under Yukito’s gently teasing encouragement and occasional help formatting citations. He hadn’t really been listening as a result, and the professor had walked in before he could ask her for details. 

The woods, strange crying, a wind that carried an ocean smell that had nothing to do with anything local—it might only have been a group of friends scaring themselves for fun, but it also might have been a spirit searching for release. 

Not that Touya could see it or do much about it, if there was a ghost—but he still felt a responsibility to go and look. 

He took a deep breath and began to speak to the quiet trees. 

“I can’t see you or hear you, but I know you must be feeling lonely and afraid now, maybe even angry. I don’t know why you’re wandering here instead of going where you belong.” 

He listened, in spite of himself. There was nothing. For a moment he considered imagining someone talking back to him but dismissed that as ridiculous. 

“There’s not much I can do to help you, but I can keep you company here for a little while so you won’t be alone. Maybe you can listen to my voice and find release within yourself.” 

He went on talking into the emptiness in an even voice. Though there was no answer, he refused to feel ridiculous. 

Finally, there was a whispery rustle beside him. Touya recognized it at once, but for a moment he let himself pretend to believe it was the ghost responding to him. Then he smiled, glancing sidelong at Yue. 

“He was getting worried,” Yue said bluntly.

Touya’s smile widened as he turned towards him. “But not you.” 

It would have been entirely in keeping with Yue’s style for him to maintain a dignified silence at this point, but instead he narrowed his eyes, regarded Touya thoughtfully, and said, “That isn’t what I said.” After a moment, he added, “Do you want me to admit I was worried, too?” 

Touya shrugged. He had always been just as much at ease in Yue’s company as in Yukito’s. Their similarities were more important than their differences, and both similarities and differences could be—

He reached up and ruffled Yue’s ethereal moonbeam hair. 

—adorable. 

Yue instinctively leaned into his touch before freezing like a cat remembering its dignity. 

“Since you’re here,” said Touya, deliberately brushing Yue’s cheek with his fingertips as he drew his hand away, “you may as well make yourself useful.” 

“No need.” The dignified look faded away into an expression that was almost soft. “The spirit has moved on. I saw it depart.” 

Touya understood at once what this implied and looked around, trying to guess what vantage point Yue had been observing him from.

“Must have got tired of listening to me,” Touya said, his flippant tone at odds with the glad relief on his face. Then, with a trace of suspicion: “Is that the truth?” 

“After that much talk, anyone would be tired…” 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

Yue raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think I would lie to you? Do you think I care for you so little? Or so much?” 

If he was offended enough to start getting indiscreet, he had to be telling the truth. Touya nodded to himself, satisfied. He scratched his chin thoughtfully and said, “No, it wouldn’t be very much like you to tell me a comforting lie like that, even if you thought it would do any good. Right,” he said in a brighter voice, turning to walk out of the woods, “now I’d better go, before Sakura finds her conscience and starts worrying about me, too.” 

A hand slipped into his and pressed it, just for a moment, a cool and slim hand with strong fingers—the next moment, Yukito walked out of the woods beside him. 

Neither of them spoke at first. Yukito was always more reticent when it came to acknowledging his other self, to the point that Touya had not been quite sure for a long time whether he knew what passed in conversation between Yue and himself. He hadn’t pressed to find out, though, or asked at all. It seemed to him a harmless game of hide-and-seek, a minor illusion that made Yukito more comfortable. That was always going to be more important than perfect knowledge. 

After a few minutes, Yukito tentatively started, “Do you miss…” 

Touya interrupted: “Hey, what did I say about bringing that up?” 

Yukito’s next words were almost inaudible, but Touya could guess at the parts he couldn’t hear: 

“…if I’d known before how important your magic was to you…” 

“It wouldn’t have been your choice to make. Are you even listening to me? Yuki, don’t look at the sidewalk, look at me.” 

Yukito looked up without hesitation. He was even smiling tremulously. 

Touya nodded. “Good. Now, listen. It’s just an old habit. I heard about the ghost and thought there might be something I could do. And I didn’t need magic to help, did I? New habits just take time to get used to.” He paused and took Yukito by the wrist, taking advantage of the empty stretch of the street just before the turn towards his house to stop in his tracks. Carefully, he said, “Why didn’t you come look for me yourself?” 

Yukito hesitated. Then, in an almost natural tone, he said, “He was more worried than I was. I know you can look after yourself.” Smiling now, he added, “You’re always taking care of everyone.” Jokingly: “Big brother.” 

The serious mood evaporated as if it had never been. Touya brought a hand down on the top of his head. “Don’t you dare!” 

Yukito laughed at his reaction, and Touya laughed, too, a little grudgingly. They walked the rest of the way to the house together to find that dinner had been kept waiting—Sakura and their father, it turned out, had also been held up—and Yukito was given a place without a question being spoken or a thought being spared.


End file.
